John Zizioulas (1931–2023)

I read this book because my much smarter and better looking friend Jeremy did a thesis on John Zizioulas. Zizioulas is one of the leading Eastern Orthodox theologians today. But this was a difficult book. Zizioulas is much easier to read if you have a good working knowledge of the Christian tradition in the Patristic period (particularly in the East), knowledge of doctrinal development and a workign knowledge of philosophy. I possess these in a small measure so I was able to work my way show more through this book, though it was not a quick read.


However it was delightful. I found this book tremendously helpful in thinking through my thoughts about what the Church is. He actually has a lot to say about the development of ontology from the ancient Greeks, until the Cappadocian Fathers and how the latter came to understand their ontology in light of the personhood of the Father in the Godhead. By this he, he argues relatationship is at the very core of all being (Father relating with the Son and Spirit). The Church, is a body instituted by Christ and constituted by the Spirit which participates in Communion with the Father. Thus those who have been baptized into the Church are constituted not only biologically but also ecclesially.

If the previous paragraph was incomprehensible, know that I was attempting to dumb down Metropolitan John a lot. There is much more in the book than I have described (i.e. The role of the bishop, Apostolic succession, the Eucharist, etc.). Suffice to say, this was a challenging book, which I found fruitful and will likely return to. show less

Sense again meets reader in Metropolitan John's (Zizioulas) latest text in translation. Superb editing by Dr. Douglas H. Knight, coupled with a succinct introduction by the same, should move this book to the top of any reading list among students of theology, ecumenism, international politics, sociology, economics, languages and cultures.

Chapters were compiled across three decades by the author's students in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and Thessalonika. Therefore, references are far less in show more number than prior books, but scholarship and precision in language are no less exact. In effect, the method of inquiry is a three-decade long conversation with students, to whom the author dedicates the book.

Mainstays of Metropolitan John's "dogmatic hermeneutics" are collected in this book. These include the nature of dogma, doctrine of God and personhood, creation and salvation, and the Church. His approach identifies a relational method by which dogmatics might be interpreted by every age of history, including our own.

Relations, he argues, stem from the "what" and "how" of God. God creates and saves according to divine substance or essence ("what"), but divine substance cannot be known. Instead, divine substance must manifest in a particular way, which is to say that God makes known three Persons.

Of course, these ideas do not originate with Metropolitan John, but rather with a group of faithful Christians called the Cappadocian Fathers. However, the author does not simply re-state the Fathers. He presents dogma in fresh light.

For example, while admitted differences persist between Eastern and Latin Churches (communions), the author accomplishes real dialogue between both parts by casting ecclesiology in terms of "faith." Faith supports differences that enrich all Christians, thereby dismissing a mistaken view that differences must cause division. Even this idea originates with Maximus the Confessor among others, but its application to contemporary divisions and a spirit of divisiveness gathers collectve assent.

I wish to add one final note. Metropolitan John musters a cogent argument against the Filioque (third article of the Nicene Creed: "...proceeds...from the Son"). His approach addresses history and then delves into theology, while grounding discussion in reference to the Church. This is no small task to finish in seven pages, yet he succeeds in my opinion. show less

This book, is taken from transcriptions of class lectures which Zizioulas gave. Thus this is one of his most accessible and systematic presentations of his theology (most of his books are collections of various articles and papers). A good overview.

One of these books that has stood the test of time - and with good reason.